Phototherapy Apparatus With Interactive User Interface

ABSTRACT

A phototherapy apparatus with interactive user interface for treating biological tissue of an animal or human target. The user interface comprises intuitive graphic menus which allow the clinicians or practitioners to define the properties of the biological tissue through easily observable physical characteristics such as weight, skin color, and hair color of the patient. The central control unit of the phototherapy apparatus then automatically optimizes the parameters of the light source according to the properties of the biological tissue and generates an appropriate treatment protocol to produce the optimum phototherapy result.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims an invention which was disclosed in ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/285,762, filed Dec. 11, 2009, entitled“PHOTOTHERAPY APPARATUS WITH INTERACTIVE USER INTERFACE”. The benefitunder 35 USC §119(e) of the above mentioned United States ProvisionalApplications is hereby claimed, and the aforementioned application ishereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to a phototherapy apparatus, and morespecifically to a phototherapy apparatus with interactive userinterface.

BACKGROUND

Phototherapy is a medical and veterinary technique which uses lasers,LEDs (light emitting diodes), or other types of light sources tostimulate or inhibit cellular function. Recently, this technique hasbeen widely used for treating soft tissue injury, chronic pain, andpromoting wound healing for both human and animal targets. Theeffectiveness of phototherapy is affected by a plurality of factorsdetermined by the properties of the light source, e.g. wavelength, powerdensity, energy fluence (dose), pulsing parameters (peak power,repetition rate, duty cycle), as well as by the physical characteristicsof the patients, e.g. body-build, weight, gender, skin color, haircolor, and body part to be treated, which in turn affects theabsorption/scattering coefficient and penetration depth of thetherapeutic light in the biological tissue. As a result, comprehensivetraining and knowledge about photon-tissue interaction are required forthe clinicians or practitioners to obtain the optimum phototherapyresult.

Existing phototherapy apparatus either require the clinicians orpractitioners to control the above mentioned parameters of the lightsource directly or offer no control of these parameters at all. Theformer approach proves to be a formidable task for the clinicians orpractitioners since they generally lack the knowledge aboutphoton-tissue interaction. The latter approach does not yield theoptimum phototherapy result or even produces adverse effects whenimproper light source parameters are applied.

There thus exists a need for an improved phototherapy apparatus whichcontrols the parameters of the light source in accordance to theproperties of the biological tissue so as to obtain the optimumphototherapy result and in the meantime does not require the cliniciansor practitioners to possess comprehensive knowledge about photon-tissueinteraction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the overall goal of the present invention to solve the abovementioned problems and provide a phototherapy apparatus with aninteractive user interface. The user interface comprises intuitivegraphic menus which allow the clinicians or practitioners to define theproperties of the biological tissue to be treated. The central controlunit of the phototherapy apparatus then automatically optimizes theparameters of the light source according to the properties of thebiological tissue and generates an appropriate treatment protocol toproduce the optimum phototherapy result.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the user interfacecomprises intuitive drop-down and pop-up menus allowing the user todefine the properties of the biological tissue through easily observablephysical characteristics such as weight, skin color, and hair color ofthe patient.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the user interfacecomprises integrated 2-D and 3-D graphics and animations for bothinteracting and educating purposes.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, thephototherapy apparatus can communicate with a remote server though awireless or wired communication network for performing update ontreatment protocols, manuals, educational illustrations and videos, etc.or for performing additional functions such as on-line billing, track ofpatient record, remote diagnosis of the patient, real-time monitoring ofthe phototherapy unit, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate viewsand which together with the detailed description below are incorporatedin and form part of the specification, serve to further illustratevarious embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages allin accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary veterinary phototherapy apparatus with aninteractive user interface;

FIG. 2 shows the main menu of the interactive user interface of theveterinary phototherapy apparatus;

FIG. 3 shows a drop-down menu of the interactive user interface of FIG.2 for defining the species, body weight, skin color, and hair color ofthe animal to be treated;

FIG. 4 shows another drop-down menu of the interactive user interface ofFIG. 2 for defining the medical condition and body part of the animal tobe treated; and

FIG. 5 shows an operation menu of the interactive user interface of FIG.2 displaying an optimized treatment protocol.

Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures areillustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily beendrawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements inthe figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help toimprove understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before describing in detail embodiments that are in accordance with thepresent invention, it should be observed that the embodiments resideprimarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus componentsrelated to a phototherapy apparatus with interactive user interface.Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps have beenrepresented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings,showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understandingthe embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure thedisclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

In this document, relational terms such as first and second, top andbottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity oraction from another entity or action without necessarily requiring orimplying any actual such relationship or order between such entities oractions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variationthereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that aprocess, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elementsdoes not include only those elements but may include other elements notexpressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, orapparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, withoutmore constraints, preclude the existence of additional identicalelements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprisesthe element.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary veterinary phototherapy apparatus 100, whichhas a touch screen based interactive user interface 102. The lightsource (not shown) of the phototherapy apparatus 100 comprises threediode lasers operating at different wavelengths, e.g. 630 nm, 810 nm,and 980 nm. The output of the three lasers are combined and deliveredvia an optical fiber 104 to a hand piece 106, which controls the powerdensity of the laser light and outputs the laser light to the subjectbiological tissue. The 630 nm visible laser has a low output power of <5mW and is mainly used for aiming purposes. The two infrared lasers havehigh output power adjustable in the range of 1-10 W for producingphotochemical reaction in the biological tissue, e.g. up-regulation anddown-regulation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), reactive oxygenspecies, and nitric oxide. The photochemical reaction in turn producesthe following therapeutic effects: (i) stimulating white blood cellactivity; (ii) accelerating macrophage activity, growth factor secretionand collagen synthesis; (iii) promoting revascularization andmicro-circulation; (iv) increasing fibroblast numbers and collagenproduction; (v) accelerating epithelial cell regeneration and speedingup wound healing; (vi) increasing growth-phase-specific DNA synthesis;(vii) stimulating higher activity in cell proliferation anddifferentiation; (viii) increasing the intra and inter-molecularhydrogen bonding. The output wavelengths of the two infrared lasers aredesigned to treat biological tissues with different types andconcentrations of chromophores. The 810 nm wavelength is well absorbedby the hemoglobin and melanin content of the biological tissue, whilethe 980 nm wavelength is efficiently absorbed by the water content. Theoutput of the two infrared lasers can be combined at adjustableproportions and simultaneously applied to the biological tissue toachieve an enhanced treatment result. Both of the two infrared laserscan operate in a pulsed mode such that a high peak power is produced toincrease the penetration depth of the laser light and/or to triggernonlinear photochemical reactions yet the average power of the laserlight is maintained at low levels to avoid any tissue damage.

Referring to FIG. 2, the main menu of the interactive user interface 102comprises several sub-menus which utilize 2-D and 3-D graphics andanimations for assisting the clinicians or practitioners to optimize thetreatment protocol of phototherapy. The ‘Protocol’ sub-menu allows theuser to define the species, body weight, skin color, and hair color ofthe animal. The ‘3D Anatomy’ sub-menu is used to define the medicalcondition and body part of the animal to be treated. Once the physicalcharacteristics and medical conditions of the subject are properlydefined, the central control unit (not shown) of the phototherapyapparatus 100 will generate an appropriate treatment protocolaccordingly in the ‘Operation’ sub-menu such that the user can reviewand initiate the phototherapy process. For advanced users, the‘Operation’ sub-menu also allows them to create self-defined treatmentprotocols by manually controlling the parameters of the light source.The main menu of the user interface also comprises a ‘Library’ sub-menuwhich provides introduction and education materials (such as treatmentmanuals, illustrations, and videos) related to phototherapy as well as a‘Setup’ sub-menu for controlling the accessories of the phototherapyapparatus 100, e.g. aiming beam status, audio tone,foot-switch/hand-switch status, etc.

FIG. 3 shows the ‘Protocol’ sub-menu of the interactive user interface,which contains intuitive 2-D graphics for assisting the users to definethe species, body weight, skin color, and hair color of the animal. Herethe species and body weight (or the body-build) of the animal affectsits skin thickness, skin density, as well as muscle and lipid content ofthe body, which in turn affects the absorption/scattering coefficientand penetration depth of the therapeutic light. The hair color of theanimal, which is mainly determined by the content of two types ofmelanin, i.e. eumelanin and pheomelanin, determines the percentage lossof the therapeutic light in the coat of the animal. For animals withdarker hair colors, it is desirable to use longer wavelengths, such asthe 980 nm therapeutic light in this example, to avoid excessive powerloss. The skin color of the animal reflects the type and content ofchromophores (e.g. hemoglobin, melanin) existing in the skin tissue,which affects the absorption spectrum of the skin tissue as well as thepenetration depth of the therapeutic light. A color palette (not shown)may be used here to define the skin and hair color even more precisely.

FIG. 4 shows the ‘3D Anatomy’ sub-menu of the interactive userinterface, which contains a 3-D animation of the selected animal targetfor assisting the user to define the medical condition (e.g. arthritis,edema/swelling, pain trauma, sprain/strain, wound, and post-surgicalincision) and body part of the animal to be treated. These twoparameters are the main factors that determine the required wavelength,power density, energy fluence (dose), and pulsing parameters for thetherapeutic light. For example, the medical condition of the animaldetermines which kind of photochemical reaction should be triggered inthe tissue. Correspondingly, the laser wavelength, power density, energyfluence (dose), and pulsing parameters should be selected to produce thedesired photochemical reaction most effectively. The medical conditionalso determines the required penetration depth for the therapeuticlight. For example, the penetration depth can be small foredema/swelling treatment since only the skin tissue need to be treated.In this case, the laser wavelength shall be selected to match with theabsorption band of the skin tissue, which can be estimated from the‘Protocol’ sub-menu as disclosed above. Correspondingly, the powerdensity and energy fluence of the laser light shall be kept atrelatively low levels to avoid tissue damage. While for sprain/straintreatment, the penetration depth should be large enough to reach thoseinner muscle tissues. In this case, the laser wavelength shall beselected to match with the absorption band of the muscle tissue whiledeviating from those absorption bands of the skin tissue to avoidexcessive power loss in the skin tissue. In the meantime, the powerdensity and energy fluence of the laser light shall be relatively largerby considering the absorption/scattering loss of the laser light in theskin and coat of the animal. The laser parameters are also affected bythe body parts to be treated. For limb treatment, the power density andpenetration depth of the laser light can be small since the skin isrelatively thin for these body parts. In comparison, higher powerdensity and larger penetration depth are required to treat the trunk ofthe body.

Under the ‘Protocol’ sub-menu of FIG. 3 and the ‘3D Anatomy’ sub-menu ofFIG. 4, the properties of the subject biological tissue is defined bythe user through those easily observable physical characteristics suchas weight, skin color, hair color, and body part of the animal. Inaccordance to a summary of these properties and the medical condition tobe treated, the central control unit of the phototherapy apparatus willautomatically generate an appropriate treatment protocol, which controlsthe laser wavelength, power density, pulsing parameters, and durationtime of the phototherapy procedure. FIG. 5 shows an exemplary treatmentprotocol displayed on the ‘Operation’ sub-menu of the interactive userinterface. Here the laser wavelength (or the relative power ratiobetween different laser wavelengths if multiple lasers are usedsimultaneously) is determined by: (i) the medical condition to betreated (hence the photochemical reaction to be produced); (ii) the skincolor of the animal, which affects the skin's absorption spectrum; and(iii) the hair color of the animal to avoid excessive laser power lossin the animal's coat. The required power density and energy fluence(dose) for the laser light is determined by: (i) the medical conditionto be treated; (ii) the species and weight of the animal, whichinfluences its skin thickness, skin density, as well as muscle and lipidcontent of the body, hence affecting the penetration depth of the laserlight; (iii) the body part to be treated; and (iv) the skin color of theanimal, which determines its absorption coefficient for the laser light.Similarly, the pulsing parameters of the laser are optimized accordingto: (i) the medical condition to be treated; (ii) the species and weightof the animal; (iii) the body part to be treated; and (iv) the skincolor of the animal. It is worth to note that the laser parameters canbe adjusted during the phototherapy procedure to achieve optimizedtreatment results. As an additional feature, the whole treatmentprotocol optimization process as disclosed above together with those 2-Dand 3-D graphics and animations may serve as an educational tool fortraining the clinicians or practitioners in phototherapy technology.

In the above disclosed procedure, the treatment protocol is optimizedprimarily based on the medical condition to be treated with certainadjustments of laser parameters based on the physical characteristics ofthe animal. For each medical condition, the optimum treatment protocolcan be obtained from previous studies and clinical trials and stored ina database in the central control unit. Based on the user enteredphysical characteristics of the animal, the central control unit canestimate the absorption and scattering coefficient of the tissue and thepenetration depth of the laser light so as to adjust the laserparameters accordingly to generate an optimum treatment protocol for thespecific animal target. This optimization process can be automaticallycompleted by the central control unit. Thus the clinician orpractitioner does not need to possess any comprehensive knowledge aboutphoton-tissue interaction. This feature allows the phototherapyapparatus to be used even by amateur users such as pet owners for‘take-home’ treatment. The central control unit can track the usage ofthe phototherapy apparatus for medical record and billing purposes. Foradvanced users, the ‘Operation’ sub-menu also allows them to manuallycontrol the laser parameters to create their own treatment protocols. Ina slight variation of the present embodiment, certain laser parameters(e.g. laser wavelength, power density, energy fluence, pulsingparameters) can be hidden away from the ‘Operation’ sub-menu as aprotection of proprietary treatment protocols.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theinteractive user interface further comprises a ‘Communication’ sub-menufor communicating with a remote server though a wireless or wiredcommunication network. The ‘Communication’ sub-menu can be used forperforming update on treatment protocols, manuals, educationalillustrations and videos, etc. or for performing additional functionssuch as on-line billing, track of patient record, remote diagnosis ofthe patient, real-time monitoring of the phototherapy unit, etc.

In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments of the presentinvention have been described. However, one of ordinary skill in the artappreciates that various modifications and changes can be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention as set forth in theclaims below. The numerical values cited in the specific embodiment areillustrative rather than limiting. Accordingly, the specification andfigures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within thescope of present invention. The benefits, advantages, solutions toproblems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, orsolution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as acritical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all theclaims. The invention is defined solely by the appended claims includingany amendments made during the pendency of this application and allequivalents of those claims as issued.

1. A phototherapy apparatus for treating an animal or human target, saidphototherapy apparatus comprising: at least one light source forproducing therapeutic light; an interactive user interface allowing auser to define medical conditions and physical characteristics of theanimal or human target; and a central control unit for automaticallyoptimizing parameters of said therapeutic light in accordance to saiduser defined medical conditions and physical characteristics to generatean optimum treatment protocol for treating the animal or human target.2. The phototherapy apparatus of claim 1, wherein said interactive userinterface comprises at least one of 2-D and 3-D graphics and animationsfor assisting the user to define said medical conditions and physicalcharacteristics of the animal or human target.
 3. The phototherapyapparatus of claim 1, wherein said central control unit estimates atleast one of an absorption coefficient, a scattering coefficient, and apenetration depth for said therapeutic light based on said user definedphysical characteristics of the animal or human target.
 4. Thephototherapy apparatus of claim 1, wherein said parameters of saidtherapeutic light comprise at least one of wavelength, power density,energy fluence, and pulsing parameters.
 5. The phototherapy apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein said medical conditions comprise arthritis,edema/swelling, pain trauma, sprain/strain, wound, or post-surgicalincision.
 6. The phototherapy apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidphysical characteristics comprise at least one of weight, body-build,gender, skin color, and body part of the animal or human target.
 7. Thephototherapy apparatus of claim 1, wherein said physical characteristicscomprise at least one of species and hair color of the animal target. 8.The phototherapy apparatus of claim 1, wherein said therapeutic lightproduces photochemical reaction in the animal or human target.
 9. Thephototherapy apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one lightsource comprises a plurality of diode lasers.
 10. The phototherapyapparatus of claim 9, wherein said plurality of diode lasers havemultiple output wavelengths.
 11. The phototherapy apparatus of claim 1,wherein said at least one light source comprises a plurality of lightemitting diodes (LEDs).
 12. The phototherapy apparatus of claim 11,wherein said plurality of LEDs have multiple output wavelengths.
 13. Thephototherapy apparatus of claim 1, wherein said interactive userinterface allows the user to communicate with a remote server though acommunication network.